[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Other than breastfeeding, there aren’t any child-rearing tasks that a man can’t carry out as well as a woman. We have twins (and we bottle-fed), so I was just as engaged with our kids as my wife from day one. Feeding, swaddling, soothing, changing diapers, bathing them, getting them dressed - everything. A 1:1 ratio of infant to adult doesn’t leave you much choice. She had one and I had one, and each of them cried for their assigned parent when they needed reassurance.

IMHO, the gender difference in child-reading isn’t aptitude, it’s interest. I could always put the kids out of mind when I took breaks. My wife couldn’t.

That has continued through childhood and teens. When my wife and her friends get together socially, the main thing they talk about is their kids. What activities they’re in, how they’re doing in school, what jobs they’re getting, etc. So when I get home from hanging out with a buddy, my wife will ask how his daughter enjoyed camp, or if she got the job she applied for. I always answer I have no idea, our families never came up in conversation. Which exasperates her.

ha - this sounds like me. come home from hockey and tell my wife that "john and his wife had a baby". she immediately asks "boy or girl? what did they name it? what was it's weight? what time was it born? did everything go fine with the delivery? etc."
i reply... "john and his wife had a baby". ha!